People attend a temple fair at the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an， capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province， on February 26， in celebration of the Lunar New Year.


　　Aging Society
　　According to the Offi ce of the National Commission on Aging， the number of people aged 60 and above had reached 241 million in China by the end of 2017， accounting for 17.3 percent of the total population.
　　A society with 10 percent of its population aged 60 or older is considered an “aging society，” said Wu Yushao， Deputy Director of the offi ce.
　　Since China fi rst qualifi ed as an aging society in 1999， the number of people aged 60 or above has seen an overall increase of 110 million. It is estimated that the number of seniors will peak at 487 million around 2050， 34.9 percent of the total population， Wu said.
　　The government has stepped up nationwide education on aging with the aim of raising citizens’ awareness and has called on the public to care for the elderly.
　　Local governments are required to improve mechanisms for the promotion of aging-related education， which has been incorporated into the annual plans and performance evaluations of local governments.
　　Tibetan Arts
　　Folk arts are booming in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region， with the number of county-level folk art groups rising by half over the past fi ve years as a result of government support.
　　Currently， the region has 74 county-level folk art troupes， compared with just 51 in 2012， Tibet’s cultural authorities said on February 26.
　　The region has more than 140 Tibetan drama bands and nearly 2，500 amateur rural acting teams， with a total of about 40，000 amateur actors and actresses.
　　The regional government has supported the development of local folk arts through policy， free training and investment. County-level folk art troupes who organize non-commercial shows receive a government subsidy of up to 300，000 yuan（$47，300） each year.
　　This year， Tibet will unveil new methods to improve the operation of folk art troupes and organize performance tours as well as regional folk song competitions， said a senior offi cial with the Tibet regional culture department.
　　By the end of last year， 87 towns in the region had been named“centers of folk art” at regional and national levels.
　　Supervisory Commissions
　　China has now established supervisory commissions in every county， city and province after the last remaining county Daxin in southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region set up its supervisory commission on February 25. 　　The new supervisory commissions nationwide incorporate existing supervisory and corruption prevention and control agencies into governments and procuratorates， and are responsible for the three major duties of supervision， investigation and punishment.
　　The new system expands the scope of inspection to ensure that all public servants who exercise public power are subject to supervision.
　　In January 2017， China started a pilot program for the new supervisory system in Beijing， as well as Shanxi and Zhejiang provinces.
　　The number of people under supervision rose from 210，000 to 997，000 in Beijing， from 785，000 to 1.315 million in Shanxi and from 383，000 to 701，000 in Zhejiang.
　　Since the end of October 2017， supervisory commissions have been set up by people’s congresses at provincial， city and county levels nationwide.
　　A supervision law is expected to be passed， and the national supervisory commission is expected to be formed at the fi rst session of the 13th National People’s Congress， scheduled to open on March 5.
　　Charity Blacklist
　　China plans to establish a red list， as well as a blacklist， to reward and punish donors in charity work， according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
　　Li Bo， an off ciial with the ministry， said at a press conference that a memorandum had been signed by 40 departments and off cies， including the ministry itself and the National Development and Reform Commission， to publish lists of hon-est and dishonest charity donors.
　　The honest donors， both individuals and organizations， will receive a boost to their credit records and enjoy favorable policies and preferential services， while dishonest donors will be closely watched by authorities and face punishment.
　　The lists will not only be shared among authorities but also published on the websites of government offi ces.
　　Left-Behind Elderly
　　China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs has issued a document calling for better social care for left-behind elderly people in rural areas.
　　In an effort to reduce security risks to rural seniors， many of whom live alone while younger family members work in cities， China will establish a database containing information on these left-behind elderly people， said Huang Shengwei， deputy chief of the ministry’s social work department.
　　Authorities will set up a regular visitor program to check on rural left-behind seniors， said Huang.
　　To improve elderly care in rural areas， the ministry vowed to improve the management of nursing homes and to build more facilities， he said. 　　The ministry encourages family members to visit elderly relatives more often while urging village committees， charity organizations and volunteers to spend time with them so as to prevent loneliness.
　　The ministry earlier said that China had more than 144，600 nursing institutions as of September 2017， three times the number at the end of 2012.
　　Wrestling Game
　　Young combatants compete in a wrestling match in Yaocun Village， Yuncheng， north China’s Shanxi Province， on February 24. More than 200 wrestlers participated in the competition， with the one able to beat six people in a row winning a sheep.


　　Ready， Set， Study
　　Teachers at a primary school in Donghai County， east China’s Jiangsu Province， prepare textbooks for the new semester on February 24.


　　Migrant Workers
　　China is encouraging migrant workers to return home and start their own businesses amid efforts to spur rural development and reduce poverty.
　　The government will unveil more policies to support migrant workers who want to start businesses in their hometowns， with some of the policies set to be piloted in Jiangxi and Henan provinces before being rolled out nationwide， according to Meng Wei， spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission （NDRC）， the country’s top economic planner.
　　This comes after the country revealed a strategy to bring prosperity to its rural areas， as stated in the No. 1 central document of 2018.
　　In hope of a better life， millions of young rural laborers have left their hometowns in recent decades to work in cities， leaving old people and children behind in their home villages.
　　The return of skilled and experienced migrant workers can help promote social and economic development in rural areas and ultimately invigorate rural development， said Zhang Deyong， a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
　　Last month， the NDRC released a plan ordering local authorities， commercial banks and fi nancing guarantee fi rms to expand fi nancial support for returning migrant workers who plan to start businesses.
　　China had more than 286.5 million migrant workers at the end of 2017， up 1.7 percent from one year earlier， the pace of growth picking up from 1.5 percent in 2016 and 1.3 percent in 2015.
　　More than 7 million migrant workers have returned to their hometowns to start their own businesses， and each new entrepreneur helps boost local employment by providing an average of four new employment opportunities， according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. 　　Auto Stake Acquisition
　　Chinese auto company Geely has become the largest single shareholder of German automotive manufacturer Daimler， German news agency DPA reported on February 23， citing a notifi cation of voting rights.
　　Zhejiang Geely Holding Group， headquartered in Hangzhou， capital city of east China’s Zhejiang Province， has bought a 9.7-percent stake in Daimler.
　　Already known for its ownership of Swedish automaker Volvo Cars， at the end of last year Geely also became the largest shareholder of commercial vehicle manufacturer Volvo Trucks.
　　As a constituent of the Frankfurtbased blue-chip index DAX， Stuttgart-based Daimler’s market value recently reached over 75 billion euros （$92 billion） as the news of impending investment from China drove up the price of its shares.
　　Lull in PMI
　　Offi cial data showed on February 28 that China’s manufacturing sector expanded at a slower pace in February.
　　The country’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index （PMI） came in at 50.3 last month， decelerating from 51.3 in January， according to the National Bureau of Statistics（NBS）. A reading above 50 indicates expansion， while a reading below refl ects contraction.
　　Despite the slowdown， the manufacturing PMI has stayed above the boom-bust line for 19 consecutive months.
　　NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe described the decline of the manufacturing PMI as “normal fl uctuation” as the index tends to fall during the Spring Festival holiday（February 15-21）.
　　Sub-indices for production and new orders went down slightly to 50.7 and 51， respectively， while sub-indices on raw material stock， employees and supplier delivery times were still lower than 50.
　　China’s non-manufacturing sector also expanded at a slower pace last month. The non-manufacturing PMI came in at 54.4 in February， down from 55.3 in January.
　　Getting Back to It
　　Employees work at the plant of a cotton mill in Huaxi Village， Jiangyin， east China’s Jiangsu Province， on February 27. Factories in the country’s richest village have resumed operation after the Spring Festival break， ensuring a good start to the new year.


　　Stable Home Prices
　　The property market remained largely stable across China in January， with home prices edging down slightly in major cities， the NBS said on February 24.
　　New residential housing prices in fi rst-tier cities declined in January in comparison to December 2017， and the growth of second-hand home prices also dropped by 0.5 of a percentage point. 　　The property market in smaller cities is showing signs of slower growth， with the growth of new residential housing prices sliding 0.3 of a percentage point from a month earlier.
　　New residential home prices dropped yearly in 11 of the 15 major cities considered the “hottest markets” in the country in January. On a month-on-month basis， new residential prices fell in seven of the 15 cities， while Shenzhen， Hangzhou and Fuzhou saw prices fl at with December 2017.
　　NBS statistician Liu Jianwei said that prices were generally stable as market controls continued to take effect.
　　At the beginning of last year， prices soared in some major cities， but government measures ensured that the year ended on a more sober note. Beijing implemented over 30 cooling policies， according to Centaline Property.
　　Spring Festival Consumption
　　Some 386 million domestic trips were made during the Spring Festival holiday （February 15-21）， up 12.1 percent from last year’s holiday， according to the China National Tourism Administration.
　　The country also saw doubledigit growth in tourism revenues during the holiday. The tourism industry garnered 475 billion yuan（$75 billion） in revenue， up 12.6 percent from last year.
　　Meanwhile， about 6.5 million overseas trips were made by Chinese tourists to destinations ranging from Southeast Asia to Antarctica during the Spring Festival.
　　Data from the Ministry of Commerce show that shops and restaurants reported sales of 926 billion yuan （$146 billion） during the weeklong holiday， up 10.2 percent year on year.
　　Consumption in the culture and entertainment industries was also strong， with box offi ce takings reaching a record 5.7 billion yuan （$901 million） during the holiday.
　　Domestic consumption has become a major force for driving growth. Consumption contributed 58.8 percent to growth in 2017， nearly 4 percentage points higher than fi ve years ago.
　　Xiaomi-Microsoft Cooperation
　　On February 23， Microsoft Corp. and China’s Xiaomi Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding（MoU） to deepen the working partnership between the two companies.
　　According to the MoU， Xiaomi and Microsoft’s cooperation will focus on cloud support， laptop-type devices， and artifi cial intelligence （AI） services.
　　Harry Shum， Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Artifi cial Intelligence and Research Group， said， “Xiaomi is one of the most innovative companies in China， and it is becoming increasingly popular in various markets around the world.” 　　“Microsoft’s unique strengths and experience in AI， as well as our products like Azure， will enable Xiaomi to develop more cuttingedge technology for everyone around the world，” he added.
　　Wang Xiang， Global Senior Vice President of Xiaomi， said that by collaborating with Microsoft in multiple areas， Xiaomi will accelerate the arrival of more exciting products and services to its users.
　　“At the same time， this partnership will allow Microsoft to reach more users around the world who use Xiaomi products，” said Wang.
　　Founded in 2010， Xiaomi has a rapidly expanding product line that includes smartphones， smart TVs， and a range of smart home products.
　　In June 2016， Xiaomi and Microsoft reached a global-scale partnership agreement. Since then， Xiaomi has begun to pre-install Microsoft Offi ce and Skype apps on its Android smartphones and tablets.
　　Ceramic Support
　　A tourist examines a ceramic plate in Tongchuan， northwest China’s Shaanxi Province， on February 27.
　　The local government has been committed to accelerating the development of the traditional ceramic industry by setting up kilns， modern ceramic enterprises and themed towns.


　　NEV Battery Recycling
　　Chinese authorities published a guideline on February 26 outlining procedures for recycling the batteries of new energy vehicles （NEVs）.
　　China is encouraging research into the recycling of NEV batteries and supports cooperation between relevant research institutions and industrial entities， according to a document jointly released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology （MIIT） and six other government departments.
　　“NEV battery producers should provide technical information on the dismantling and restoration of their products as well as the necessary training to automakers， while automakers themselves are encouraged to build maintenance networks so as to better serve NEV owners，” the document said.
　　Cooperation between battery producers and automakers has been encouraged to build channels for battery recycling， with automakers required to set up recycling sites.
　　The MIIT， together with the General Administration of Quality Supervision， Inspection and Quarantine， will build a unifi ed information tracking platform to strengthen information sharing and the tracing of batteries.
　　The new policy also welcomes social capital to establish industrial funds to explore market-based trading.
　　China’s NEV market recorded another year of rapid growth in 2017 as the government continued its push toward green transport， emphasizing the need for a system of battery recycling.
　　A total of 777，000 NEVs were sold on the Chinese market last year， up 53.3 percent year on year. The total production and sale of NEVs is expected to hit 5 million by 2020.
　　Zesty Arrivals
　　A farmer observes the growth of lemons introduced from Taiwan at the Xianju Taiwan Farmers’ Pioneer Park in east China’s Zhejiang Province on February 27.
　　Established in 2009， the park seeks to satisfy market demand by introducing fruits and fl owers from Taiwan.